MORAL
AGENTS
IN ETHICS
CONTENTS OF THIS REPORT
In this PowerPoint Presentation we will be able to define/discuss:
What are Morals
Examples of Morals in our Society
Example of Morals in Literature
What are Moral Agents
What is Moral Agency
Moral Agents & Subject of Moral Worth
Difference Between Moral Agents & Subject of Moral Worth
MORAL AGENTS IN
ETHICS
WHAT ARE MORALS?
WHAT ARE MORALS?
● Morals are defined as standards for what
behavior is considered right or wrong.
● Morals are the prevailing standards of behavior
that enable people to live cooperatively in
groups. Moral refers to what societies sanction
as right and acceptable.
EXAMPLES OF MORALS IN OUR SOCIETY
■ Always tell the truth
■ Do not destroy property
■ Have courage
■ Keep your promises
■ Do not cheat
■ Treat others as you want to be treated
■ Do not judge
EXAMPLE OF MORALS IN LITERATURE
To Kill a Mockingbird
In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch is a white man defending a
black man named Tom Robinson, accused of raping a young girl. In the Deep
South in the 1930s, this was scandalous, due to pervasive racism. Nevertheless,
his morals tell him to protect and serve every member of society, no matter the
color of his or her skin.
When the narrator, Scout, asks her father why he's defending Robinson, he says,
"You really never understand a person until you consider things from his point of
view -- until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." Atticus was teaching her
empathy and not to judge, both sound morals.
MORAL AGENTS IN ETHICS
WHAT ARE MORAL
AGENTS?
MORAL AGENTS IN ETHICS
WHAT ARE MORAL
AGENTS?
Moral agents are those agents expected to meet the demands of morality.. An individual
or entity that is morally obligated or capable of acting with reference to right and wrong.
But though they are agents they are not automatically considered moral agents.
For a moral agent must also be capable of conforming to at least some of the demands of
morality. But not all agents are moral agents.
WHAT ARE MORAL
AGENTS?
Children and adults with certain
intellectual or psychological
disabilities may have little or no
ability to function as moral agents.
In extreme cases, situational
constraints, such as being held
hostage, can temporarily prevent
adults with full mental capacity
from acting as moral agents.
MORAL AGENTS IN ETHICS
EXAMPLE OF MORAL
AGENT
We tend to think, for example, that particular responses are appropriate when a
person who is a moral agent performs or fails to perform an action. A good
Samaritan is praised for his conduct; a thief is blamed for his. We also tend to
think that moral agency is a matter of degree (we do not think of children, for
example, as moral agents; teenagers may have some degree of moral agency,
though not the full moral agency of adults).
MORAL AGENTS IN ETHICS
WHAT IS MORAL AGENCY?
MORAL AGENTS IN ETHICS
WHAT IS MORAL
AGENCY?
Moral agency is the ability to make ethical decisions based on what is
right or wrong. This capacity can be found in individuals or collective
entities like businesses or health care institutions.
MORAL AGENTS IN ETHICS
WHAT IS MORAL
AGENCY?
According to Christen et al., moral agency encompasses three major
concepts:
1. the moral competency of the person or organization in question
2. the normative framework on which ethical behavior is based, and
3. the situational constraints that influence decision-making.
MORAL AGENTS AND MORAL AGENCY
Moral Agents & Subject of Moral Worth
MORAL AGENTS SUBJECT OF MORAL
WORTH
A moral agent is
capable of acting A moral subject is
with reference to
right and wrong, anything that can be
and has the power
to intentionally
harmed.
cause harm to
another.
MORAL AGENTS & SUBJECT OF MORAL WORTH
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MORAL AGENTS & SUBJECT OF MORAL WORTH
A moral agent is capable of acting with reference to right and
wrong, and has the power to intentionally cause harm to
another. A subject of moral worth is anything that can be
harmed.
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